Orotic acid, also known as pyrimidinecarboxylic acid, was historically believed to be a vitamin, i.e. vitamin B13; however, this is now understood to be incorrect. Orotic acid has a number of important roles in the body, including; acting as a key intermediate for the production of pyrimidines (Visek W J. Nitrogen-stimulated orotic acid synthesis and nucleotide imbalance. Cancer Res. Apr. 1, 1992; 52(7):2082s-4s), neutralizing excess ribose, and ensuring that adequate levels of beta-alanine, carnosine and anserine are present.
Supplementation with orotic acid and derivatives of orotate, particularly insoluble organic salts such as magnesium orotate, have been shown to successfully increase athletes' tolerance to extended periods of physical exertion (Rosenfeldt F L. Editorial: Metabolic supplementation with orotic acid and magnesium orotate. Cardiovasc Drugs Ther. April 1998; 12(Suppl 2):147-52). The increased tolerance to exercise observed with administration of orotic acid has been attributed to the acid's ability to improve the energy status of cells (Classen H G. Magnesium orotate-experimental and clinical evidence. Rom J Intern Med. 2004; 42(3):491-501), by stimulating the synthesis of glycogen and adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
The production of derivatives of orotic acid have been described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,508. This reference purports to describe alkyl, allyl, cyclohexyl, and benzyl derivatives of orotate, wherein the orotate is derivatized at one of the nitrogens present in the orotate.
U.S. Publication No. 2004/0033981 purports to describe pyrimidine precursors. The pyrimidine precursors are based upon orotate having one of three pyrimidines bound to nitrogen of the orotate ring. Additionally, this application discloses alcohol based esters of orotate, as well as salts of orotate.
U.S. Publication No. 2005/0250674 purports to describe creatine-orotate complexes and orotic acid derivatives. The creatine-orotate complexes are based on the formation of an anhydride bond between the carboxylic acids of both the creatine and the orotate. The orotic acid derivatives described are esters formed at the carboxylic acid of the orotate.
The above disclosed patents and applications recite orotate salts, esters, methods of synthesis, and uses thereof. However, the disclosed patents or applications fail to teach, suggest or disclose a compound comprising an orotate molecule bound to an amino acid via an amide bond. It is commonly known that hydrolysis of amides is more difficult to accomplish then the hydrolysis of esters (Solomons G, Fryhle C. Organic Chemistry: Seventh Edition Upgrade. 2002. pg 840. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Toronto, Canada). Therefore, an amide of orotate and an amino acid is more stable in solution then the related ester.
Exercise is a major stimulus for skeletal muscle growth. During the hours following exercise, there are dynamic changes in the rates of both skeletal muscle synthesis and breakdown. The consumption of specific dietary components is known to further influence the response of skeletal muscle to exercise. The main component of food that is known to stimulate increased muscle protein synthesis is amino acids (Rennie M J. Body maintenance and repair: how food and exercise keep the musculoskeletal system in good shape. Exp Physiol. July 2005; 90(4):427-36). Increased levels of circulating essential amino acids have been shown to stimulate protein synthesis (Smith K, Reynolds N, Downie S, Patel A, Rennie M J. Effects of flooding amino acids on incorporation of labeled amino acids into human muscle protein. Am J Physiol. July 1998; 275(1 Pt 1):E73-8).
The branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs): Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine, are one group of amino acids that are commonly administered during and after exercise. BCAAs are considered essential amino acids since humans are unable to synthesis them—they must be obtained from the diet—despite their importance. These BCAAs are not only used in the synthesis of other amino acids, but are also important in the cell signal regulation of the anabolic process in skeletal muscle. BCAAs also increase the rate of protein synthesis as well as inhibiting protein degradation (Matthews D E. Observations of branched-chain amino acid administration in humans. J Nutr. June 2005; 135(6 Suppl):1580S-4S).
Additionally, other amino acids, such as Phenylalanine and Arginine are often supplemented during periods of exercise in order to make up for a deficiency or shortage of that amino acid as a result of depletion during periods of strenuous exercise.
The amino acid Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid, which can be converted into L-tyrosine and then into L-DOPA, which is further converted into one of three catecholamines: dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. Increased levels of catecholamines induce a multitude of metabolic, hemodynamic and systemic effects (French D N, Kraemer W J, Volek J S, Spiering B A, Judelson D A, Hoffman J R, Maresh C M. Anticipatory responses of catecholamines on muscle force production. J Appl Physiol. January 2007; 102(1):94-102). A non-exhaustive list of these physiological responses include; promotion of energy availability to support the force-requiring demands of high-intensity resistance exercise, facilitation of the contractile characteristics of skeletal muscle, and redirection of blood flow to areas of the body where larger amounts are required at a given time.
Arginine is considered to be a semi-essential amino acid as it is normally synthesized in sufficient amounts by the body. However, conditions and circumstances are known wherein additional Arginine is required or desired, during exercise, for example. Arginine is known to participate in several important metabolic processes (Barbul A. Arginine: biochemistry, physiology, and therapeutic implications. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. March-April 1986; 10(2):227-38), such as acting as a precursor for the synthesis of proteins, other amino acids, urea, creatine and is a substrate involved in the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO) (Appleton J. Arginine: Clinical potential of a semi-essential amino. Altern Med Rev. December 2002; 7(6):512-22), and the detoxification of ammonia formed by amino acid catabolism (Campbell B A, La Bounty P M, Roberts M. The ergogenic potential of Arginine. J Inter Soc Sports Nutri. 2004; 1(2):35-8).
While the above referenced orotate compounds have attempted to address issues such as stability and solubility in addition to, and in some cases, attempting to add increased functionality as compared to orotate alone, no description has been made of any amino acid orotate compound united through an amide bond, thereby providing improved stability of the resultant molecule in solution as compared to corresponding esters.